Pacing Memories
by K.Kiddo
Summary: TenTen recalls one of her memories of Neji in the past. Rated T for safety. .:NejiTen, few hints of SasuIno:.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.**

**Naruto © Kishimoto Masashi**

**-x-**

"Neji, can we end training for today?" came what seemed like a pleading voice. The Jounin straightened, his back facing the speaker as he glanced past his shoulder.

"Hai..." Neji said in response, sitting down next to her under the nearest tree, the two blanketed by the silhouette of the leaves.

His touch felt so warm, TenTen thought as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Nostalgic memories flooded back into her mind as she recalled her experiences in the past. Maybe it was just a random thought that came into focus, or maybe she just wanted to recall one of the times she and Neji associated partly back at the Academy. Either way, one memory-encrypted images stood out from the rest as she remembered that one and possibly first time Neji actually recognized her existence years ago...

-x--x--x-

It was the time of mentoring, early morning training, schoolwork, and sitting in classrooms while listening to Chuunin and Jounin talk about the basics of being a shinobi. Or ignoring them. Nonetheless, it was the school period of a somewhat typical ninja's life.

"TenTen!" The Weapons Mistress could remember someone calling out her name. She had turned to find Ino running to her, a single arm and hand waving in the air, the other holding a lunch box of onigiri and such.

"Hey, Ino." Lunch time was the only break during academy hours when soon-to-be Genin could associate with others from classes separate from theirs. Especially for these two kunoichi, considering they were set with different teachers due to their age difference of one year.

"Sasuke offered to walk with me after class!" Ino was squealing girlishly in ecstasy at her sudden gossip burst. How she had always dreamed for the class heartthrob of her group to notice her. TenTen gave a smile.

"That's nice..." she merely said. She could never guess why it was such a big deal that a guy would ask to walk you home. She was just fairly tomboyish like that. But that didn't mean she didn't want it to happen to her. She couldn't say she wouldn't be glad if a boy asked to walk with her home. Especially if that male was _him_. Like Ino's class, her group had what the other girls often considered and labeled a 'dreamy' alpha of the rest. And that was Hyuuga Neji.

"Neji!! Wait for me!!" The two kunoichi-to-be turned to find the mentioned top-rookie walking past them, a girl, one of TenTen's classmates, trailing him. TenTen could literally see hearts in the girl's eyes as she followed. Not surprisingly, a few other girls, more classmates, could been seen stalking him. Or spying him with their horribly-developed shinobi skills.

Neji, the stoic 'god' (or at least, that was what TenTen heard some of the girls call him), merely ignored the ones who had made it their goal to become the future 'Mrs. Hyuuga'. They irritated him so much, seeing them chase him wherever he went. In the halls, at the training field, and several times, even the restrooms, disturbingly...

Ino recognized the longing stare TenTen was unknowingly exhibiting.

"You like him, don't you?" she teased.

"Don't be ridiculous," the senior shinobi responded quickly, immediately turning away. Thankfully, Sakura had walked by at that moment. Typically, she was looking for the vengeful Uchiha.

"There's forehead girl." A haughty smile spreaded across Ino's face as she followed after the Haruno kunoichi to crush her with the news. TenTen recalled how Sakura was singed with anger when she heard Sasuke had accepted Ino's existence, leading to some event she didn't bother going into in detail. Let's just skip to after lunch...

-x-

Class time again. Students poured into the halls of the Academy building, spilling into the classrooms as they slid into their spots at the large desks and on the benches that acted as their seats. TenTen followed habitually like everyone else, edging to the middle of a desk at the top row. She looked at the person filling the seat between her and the wall. Oh damn it.

There he was again. The Hyuuga. One of the few on the 'Most Wanted' lists of nearly every (if not all) girl in the class. _He_ was the one accompanying her this period. She spotted a few females glaring kunai at her for stealing what they presumed before was _their_ seat. Oh well. Too bad for them.

-x-

"Eek! A fly!" a girl suddenly screamed during the middle of class. Everyone, including the Chuunin, looked up from their books and marked papers. TenTen rolled her eyes. Someone was panicking over _a fly_?! How is she going to survive in the battlefield if she's screaming over _a fly_?!

"Ignore it," the Chuunin teacher instructed, returning to his piles of papers. The fly remained hovering above the shaken student, its irritating buzzing vibrating off empty wall that it was heard by the whole class.

"But it's hideous!" Neji merely gave an unacknowledging scowl at the pathetic student. TenTen could tell he found this unnerving. She couldn't really blame him though. Even she was reaching her limit on withstanding the irritable squeals. Maybe if she acted quickly, she could do it without getting caught...

A kunai flew out and soared across the classroom, over the irrationally-fearing girl until it pinpointed the fly, pinning it to the wall. There. Dead. Now the female can recover from being a spineless coward. Neji caught the motion of the kunai with his lavender eyes and glanced at TenTen.

"Who threw that?!" The chair scraped across the surface of the floor as the teacher abruptly stood up. One of Neji's fangirls, who was sitting above her stalked target and TenTen, smirked. This was her chance to get her in trouble! Her chance to blame the one who's been stealing the one who the girl had assumed was _her _Neji.

"It was her! She did it!" The red-headed, fandom-obsessed female stood up and pointed at her victim. Some of her friends caught the gist of her act as their arms were lifted and their fingers pointing at the same target to aide her.

"Nani?!" Those witches! TenTen glared at the red-head intensely. Her enemy merely gave a smug smile at her.

"TenTen, you know weapons are not allowed in the classrooms!" the Chuunin instructor scolded. "After class, I want to talk to you."

"No. It wasn't her," Neji suddenly spoke out of turn. "It was me. I'm responsible for this." Just about every girl, including TenTen, gave a choked-in gasp. Neji was protecting _her_?!

"...Very well...I will speak with _you_ after class..." The elder shinobi seated himself.

-x-

It was after school. Most of the class had already left, excluding Neji, of course. TenTen was heading home until someone pushed her to the ground from behind.

"What was that for?!" TenTen turned in annoyance to find the conceited girl standing over her, twirling a lock of her red hair with a finger as she looked down with an arrogant smirk.

"Hey! What are you doing to TenTen?!" Ino rushed over to her fallen friend, offering to help her up, though the weapons specialist declined.

"That was for trying to steal Neji away from me." Some friends gathered around the unnamed female, all wearing the same proud expression on their faces. "And for the record, Neji is _mine_. You got that?"

"It's him! He's coming this way!" The other girls scuttled and hid behind the trees, clearing the area until only TenTen remained, lying face-down in the dirt, Ino kneeling next to her, as well as the vain witch who stood, trying to look her best.

"Hey Neji," she said flirtatiously as the Hyuuga walked by. Neji didn't even give so much as a passing glance at her, only responding with a stoic "Hn." Ino scowled at her. TenTen sneered as she began lifting herself off the ground, only to notice a pair of blue shinobi sandals pausing next to her.

"...TenTen? Why are you on the ground?"

"Uh, I, um...fell..."

"This freak pushed her down!" Ino pointed accusingly at the guilty person.

"I did not!" the suspected girl argued. "Who are you going to believe, Neji? These two," she flipped her short, sun-red hair before continuing, "or me?"

"Be quiet," Neji ordered, glaring at the one who had just spoken with disgust before bending down and offering a hand to TenTen. "Do you need any help?" It seemed somewhat odd how he asked with such an impassive voice.

"Um...Arigatou..." she murmured, taking his hand as he helped her up. Ino failed to hide the pleased expression on her face.

"Neji!" Oh right. The red-head still stood nearby, nearly forgotten. "Neji, you honestly don't like losers like her, right??"

"You're irritating." Neji straightened, his back towards the heart-shattered fangirl. Ino fired a fist in the air, stopping just centimeters from the girl's face.

"Ha!" The stalker ran away, trying to hide the sight of her eyes welling up.

"Ino, let's go." Sasuke was standing several yards away, standing coolly with his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"Coming, Sasuke-kun!" The Yamanaka shuffled to her escort, giving a final wave to TenTen as she went. Behind a tree, Sakura was staring at the fading pair, her Inner Sakura in a blaze of fury (Inner Sakura: Why did Sasuke-kun choose Ino-pig over me?!). But that was irrelevant.

TenTen turned back to Neji who was still standing by her side. The prodigy merely closed his eyes and smirked.

"Let's go...I'll walk you home..."

-x--x--x-

"TenTen?" Her bleary eyes opened slowly. She must have dozed off, thinking about that day.

"TenTen. It's late." Neji was right, as usual. It had turned fairly dark. A few stars were already shining.

"I must have fallen asleep," TenTen lifted her head off his shoulder and yawned. "I should go." The kunoichi stood, dusting dirt, leaves, and whatever else might have fallen on her.

"Wait." Neji stood up as well. "I'll walk with you." TenTen gave a soft smile. It wasn't nearly as strange for him to say that since he started to learn how to ease up a bit.

"...That would be nice..."

**-x-**

**This didn't exactly come out the way I wanted it to... ¬¬ But I was somewhat making it up as I went along, and I ran into writer's block about halfway...**

**Edit:**

**1. "TenTen should have stood up to the girl who pushed her/should have beaten her up." (etc. etc. and other things related)**  
**Response: **I get this a lot in my reviews, and I guess I would agree, but one of the reasons this didn't happen was mainly because Neji interfered too quickly for TenTen to have done anything, and that was how the one-shot already went in my mind.

**2. "This should be continued/Is there going to be a part 2?" (etc.)  
Response:** This was meant as a one-shot; I don't exactly see a plot I can derive from this to turn into a continuing story (though I am open to suggestions).


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